Soft, sweet and delicious, buttercream is the perfect topping to any cake. This is a cake topping that is easy to make and can make any cake seem just that little bit extra impressive. But, what happens if you’ve made a little too much?
Can You Freeze Buttercream?
Yes, you can freeze buttercream for up to 3 months. To freeze buttercream, it should be placed in freezer-safe containers with a tight-fitting lid. The most important step is to ensure it is airtight.
Does Buttercream Freeze Well? Yes
Can You Refreeze Buttercream? No
How To Freeze Buttercream
When it comes to freezing buttercream, the process couldn’t get any simpler! There are just a few short steps and very little preparation work involved so let’s get started:
- Prepare Container: Grab yourself a freezer-safe container. You need one with a tight lid to ensure it is airtight. You could use a freezer bag too but you need to make sure you can make it airtight so you don’t spoil your buttercream.
- Spoon in Buttercream: Add your buttercream to your container. Consider the portion size you’ll need when defrosting it and ensure you freeze it in this size.
- Seal Container: Seal the container to ensure it is airtight. If you’re not 100% sure, then you can also wrap the container in a sheet of clingfilm.
- Label and Freeze: Label the container with the date and freeze! It really is that simple.
3 Tips for Freezing Buttercream
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing buttercream to have the best results:
Keep It Airtight
Air is the enemy! It’s vital that you do all you can to keep the air out. Use good-quality Tupperware containers with a good seal or thick freezer bags.
Avoid Decorating Cakes
Try to freeze cake and buttercream apart so that you can assemble them when you’re ready to serve them.
Give It a Vigorous Stir
Some parts of the buttercream can separate when frozen, especially if frozen for multiple months. Once defrosted, give it a vigorous stir to smooth the buttercream out. It won’t be as smooth as if you had made it fresh but it should be smooth enough.
How Long Can You Freeze Buttercream?
Buttercream doesn’t keep indefinitely in the freezer but it should be good for a couple of months. You can get away with three months maximum but we are betting that it won’t last that long!
You might notice a little bit of texture change but this is to be expected with freezing and you can whisk it back up again to get your preferred texture once it has thawed out.
Buttercream has a long life in the fridge. When stored in an airtight container or covered bowl, buttercream can last for up to 1 month.
How Do You Defrost Buttercream?
When it comes to defrosting your buttercream the process is just as simple as it was to freeze it in the first place.
For best results take the container out of the freezer and pop it into the fridge to thaw out slowly. If you can plan ahead, take your buttercream out the night before you want to use it and let it thaw overnight.
When it is thawed take it out of the fridge and let it settle on the kitchen counter for a while. You want to make sure it is close to room temperature before adding it to a piping bag or trying to use it.
If you want to speed up the process you can thaw it on the kitchen counter instead but you don’t want to thaw it out too quickly or it might lose some of its smooth texture.
Can You Refreeze Buttercream?
When freezing buttercream, you’re going to have some issues with texture, unfortunately. If you were to refreeze buttercream then thaw it again at a later date, you’ll ruin the texture further.
The buttercream is likely to become grainy or gritty.
Does Buttercream Freeze Well?
Buttercream does freeze very well and you should only notice a minimal difference between frozen and fresh buttercream.
You may find that the texture has become a little crystalised and grainy but you can usually fix this by whisking the buttercream until it is smooth again.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing buttercream or icing in general, then these may help:
This might initially seem like a great way to save some time, we’d actually recommend freezing your cakes and icing apart. You’ll most likely have to whisk up your buttercream once it has thawed to get rid of the grainy, gritty texture.
You can freeze royal icing! You just need to place your block of royal icing into a ziplock bag, remove the air and place it in the freezer. Make sure you freeze different colours in different bags otherwise you may find when you come to defrost your royal icing you’re left with a discoloured mess.
